A solid strategy for SEO is essential for any small business in Omaha that wants to attract more customers. But just because you know that SEO can help your business achieve its goals doesn’t mean that you automatically know where to start. Since SEO is a very wide discipline, it can be challenging to zero in on the right starting point.
If you’re ready to get the ball rolling but aren’t sure what should be done first, Big Red SEO understands exactly how you feel. Since this is a common dilemma faced by Omaha small business owners, we’ve put together the following guide to help you kickstart a successful strategy for SEO.
Understand the Importance of a Consistent NAP
Although quality sleep is important for leading a healthy and productive lifestyle, that’s not what we’re referring to with the acronym NAP. When used in this context, NAP stands for name, address and phone number. Before we dive into why a consistent NAP is so important for local businesses, it’s worth noting that Google uses a somewhat different algorithm for ranking local search queries than they do for broader searches.
As a result of this difference, the things that are most important for an Omaha small business to focus on may be different than the strategy of a national corporation. When it comes to local SEO, NAP is one of the top ranking signals that Google uses. Specifically, they look for NAP citations from directories, relevant websites and other sources.
Why does Google places so much emphasis on NAP for its local search results? The main reason is not long ago, Google had a lot of issues with spam sites trying to rank for local search phrases. Since those aren’t the types of sites people want to find when they conduct a local search, Google took steps to ensure that only real business websites appear when someone does a local search in Omaha or any other city.
Based on their research, Google must have found that NAP citations are one of the most reliable ways to separate real businesses from spam sites. While this has helped cut down spam in local results, it has created some issues for local businesses. Specifically, Google is very picky about the format of NAP listings.
Because Google is so picky, it’s important to use consistent format like parenthesis around the area code in your telephone number and always using the same abbreviations for words like St. By securing as many quality NAP listings as possible and ensuring that their formatting is consistent, you will be able to establish your business as a trustworthy one in the eyes of Google.
Give Customers a Reason to Leave Reviews
Yelp and other review sites make it clear that if they find out a business is paying for positive reviews, they can delete those reviews. While paying for reviews isn’t a strategy we would encourage, there are still plenty of ways to give customers a reason to leave a positive review of your business.
A simple but effective way to do this is by providing really great service. Since great service is far from standard, customers definitely take notice. That’s especially true if you’re able to personalize the experience in any way. Another simple strategy is to include links to your Yelp or other review profiles on emails and receipts. When someone has this information right in front of them, it will be easier for them to leave a review.
Ensure Your Website Design is Optimized
Mobile has been directly shaping the Internet for the past few years. Because it’s become such an important traffic source, Google recently updated their algorithm to give preference to sites with a mobile-friendly design. If your site doesn’t currently use a responsive design, transitioning to one needs to be at the top of your strategy for SEO list.
The reason that a responsive design is the best way to optimize for mobile is because it allows your site to adapt to any screen size. By switching to this type of design, you’ll be able to ensure that mobile visitors have a great experience and that Google continues to view your site in a positive light.
Get the Technical Details Right
Much of what goes into a strategy for SEO has to do with marketing and promotion. However, there are also some technical aspects of SEO that are very important. If these aspects are overlooked, it can prevent your site from performing as well as possible in Google.
Not only are nailing technical details like canonical URLs important for maximizing rankings, but it’s also important to periodically audit your site for any technical issues. If a technical issue comes up and isn’t addressed, it can lead to lost rankings. Because dealing with the technical side of SEO can be quite involved, many Omaha businesses prefer to let the experienced Big Red SEO team handle all of this work.
Get the Right Strategy for SEO in Place: (402) 522-6468
As you can see from everything we covered above, SEO isn’t the type of dark magic that some people view it as. That being said, getting SEO right can still be very tricky. Since there’s a lot that goes into coming up with a successful strategy for SEO, and even more that goes into properly implementing a strategy, it’s very useful to have professional help on your side.
If you want to work with a provider that has built a reputation for excellence, Big Red SEO won’t let you down. Because we know that every Omaha business has its own specific marketing needs, we can customize a service package to meet your exact goals.
Whether you’re interested in having us review your current SEO efforts or want to launch a strategy from scratch, we can manage everything that needs to be done. To talk more about your SEO needs and how we can help your business, easily schedule a free consultation by calling us at (402) 522-6468.
